Oda pencil flexing in a Luffy fight chapter that's not even conclusive. Good stuff. The cover confirms the Germa are the focus of this serial. "Emotionless/Cold-blooded Voyage" makes it seem like there will be an emotional payoff. Will Judge finally fix the kids?
Kaido hiding a keg in every corner of Wano, I love this beautiful drunk bastard. Luffy gear stacking G2 + G3 with Future Sight and CoC is a monstrous combition to behold, clever for preserving G4. Even sneaks in a sweet back kick like Sanji's. All attention shifts to Kaido as the gag modes from 824 becoming a Drunken Club Fu style is just brilliant. Kaido shows fluidity in all aspects this chapter from his jubilant, crying and enranged personas, his body morphing from snake to Orlumbus mode to emphasize the clobbering power behind Ragnaraku, his weapon looking rubbery one page then gigantic the next to counter Luffy's Gatling with a Draco Meteor (Oda the Pokemon GO addict). And just mixing it up in general with AOE wind slices, headbutts, mouth beams and clubbings.
The man could be in Impel Down and he would still find a bottle of his best friend.
The Gorosei hype machine showing up mid-Act.
A resolution to their conversation is right around the corner. A DF not having Awakened in centuries helps narrow it down to Luffy/Law/Kid/maybe Yamato. The Gorosei shouldn't be surprised NW veterans like Kaido and Big Mom have DF Awakening, while Tama and other side characters who haven't been relevant in volumes acquiring Awakening when no Beast Pirate could is unlikely. The story beats favor Luffy: 1) Elite agent Who's Who got tossed in a torture chamber for failing to protect an ordinary Paramecia, 2) Gorosei both build up + clarify Luffy's ability as Awakening reveals its true nature, 3) Luffy's Supernova rivals managed to Awaken this arc, 4) Luffy needs one final power up to overcome Yonko Kaido, who coincidentally also needs to Awaken himself.
Zunisha here to take Jack back to the home planet. The final panel referencing the Void Century juxtaposed with a 1000-year old animal famous for having good memory is interesting. Zunisha having a DF but it's actually this other special DF would be a bizarre situation all around and I doubt the Gorosei are even aware it just arrived in Wano. Momo, not Luffy, Roger or Oden, is the only person both able to hear and command Zunisha so it's no surprise it has a big role in Wano to play. The elephant king could wipe out a fleet of WG ships, stop Onigashima like the seakings stopped the Noah, douse all the fires in the flaming cage in the sky with one spray of its nose. Some villain ought to stop that thing.
Very much enjoyed this action chapter with a cliffhanger mystery for the break. The Gorosei talk about someone dying, as if that bomb has yet to drop, and the old decrepit "living legend" (as Jack put it) Zunisha shoots right to the top of that list. It atoned for its crime by keeping the Minks and Road Poneglyph safe and hidden for 800 years while Wano was closed off. The Minks had their civilization destroyed, remained loyal to the Kozuki on the verge of extinction, contributed significantly in Wano's war. Momo could have learned Zunisha's secrets after Zou arc. Should it drop dead tomorrow, Shogun Momo would happily resettle the Minks in his new open Wano.